Friday, February 19, 2010

The Query Monster

It has begun. Today I got the first rejection from an agent regarding my children's picture book. From the moment I read the form rejection, my wheels starting turning. I looked back over my query letter, the very one that had been edited no less than 50 times before sending, and wondered what was still wrong with it. This is the thing I hate about query letters! You get a couple of paragraphs to sell yourself and your book. I don't know about anyone else, but as a writer, I tend to be very wordy! My family and friends have always said that they love to listen to me tell stories because the stories are so vivid and full of details. Now, maybe this is just them telling me in the nicest way possible that I talk too much, but maybe not. After all, that is what the art of writing is. It is the weaving of words together in such a way that the reader can visualize the people, places, and even era of time we are describing.

As a child I was so afraid at night. My closet was the source of my greatest fears and much anxiety. I thought it harbored unseen monsters that only ventured out when my parents had left my bedroom. Now as an adult, I have replaced fears of darkness and things that go bump in the night with the Query Monster! It terrifies me to think that so much is depending on that one page of paper. I also find it scary and frustrating as a writer to try and use as few words as possible in describing something I am so very proud of. Our books become our children. Have you ever asked someone about their baby and they answer you with a couple of words? Of course not! I don't know, maybe I am alone in this. Does anyone else not find query letters scary?

7 comments:

Any author who is proud of their work fears the query letter. Fearing it isnt what they are looking for. Fearing you didnt represent your body of work well enough. Do you keep sending it out, or do I revise it again for the 51st time. We must believe in our work, believe in what we are doing, then with our thick skins we step into the darkness of the night and send query after query, with rejection after rejection, and all the while stay true to the course. Never give up, and always keep writing.

I think the query is the singlemost fear all writers share. But don't give up! With a lot of luck, that query letter will make a difference. :) I've done them over and over, for every query I've sent (and that's a lot), over the years, and I still rewrite the silly things, every time I set up a new letter. Keep at it, Jacki! :) You'll get lucky and find the perfect reader for your little ole query, I'm sure! :)

Ahh... the query letters. I think they are painstakingly written and fussed over more than the manuscript itself. Yes, they still frighten me and someday I will have to write another one and face the unknown. In my opinion, the only thing worse than the dreaded query is the synopsis. That is just pure insanity!

I just sent my first query letters out (five letters to five publishers, querying my first novel). I'm going to follow the advice of my writing guru, Dean Wesley Smith. To wit: send them out*, then forget about them. Write the next novel, and the next, and get those circulating too. Every novel is practice, and practice makes perfect. Plus, the more novels you have circulating, the better the odds that one of them will find a home.

I didn't know you were trying to write a book! That's awesome! We have a friend here in Austin who has gotten their book published and is now about to release the sequel. Her blog is: http://pjhoover.blogspot.com. She has a lot about writing on her blog. You might find it informative. Good luck and never give up!